Dallas Cowboys Blog

A look at the keys to victory for the Cowboys in their matchup against the Redskins

IRVING — The Cowboys are battered and bruised, but they will try to earn their second consecutive victory against the Redskins on Monday. Here is a look at what they need to do to win and remain in contention in the NFC East division:

Emerge unscathed
The Cowboys have been decimated by injuries in the first two weeks of the season and they will be hard-pressed to win many games if they have to keep dipping into their reserves. They have had to patch up their secondary, receiver corps and the offensive line – tackling unforeseen challenges that most teams struggle to overcome. The Cowboys don’t need any more bad breaks or pyrrhic victories. They just need to stay healthy.

Protect the quarterback
Tony Romo doesn’t deserve the punishment he’s been dealt these last two seasons. He has a fractured rib and a punctured lung after suffering a broken left collarbone in 2010. The Cowboys need Romo to avoid further harm if they want to make a push for the playoffs. He took a beating against San Francisco. He can’t afford to be victimized by another one against Washington.

Control Possession
The secret to the Redskins’ success in the first two weeks has been their ability to keep the ball away from the opposition. Washington has controlled possession for a longer period than any other NFL team, with the offense dictating the terms for an average of 35 minutes, 33 seconds. More impressive is the fact that they have pieced together six drives of at least 10 plays. No other team has accomplished the feat more than five times. The Cowboys must find a way to get the Redskins to relinquish the ball.

Go screen
Facing a young offensive line and a quarterback that is battered and bruised, there is a good bet the Redskins will apply a significant amount of pressure throughout the game. The Cowboys don’t have a potent enough running game to make a team think twice about blitzing. But they do have a number of effective screen pass plays and they need to use them to blunt the Redskins’ pass rush.